Ray Rice Could Be Back in the NFL This Season

I guess this is what they mean by “indefinite suspension.” Former Ravens running back Ray Rice is appealing the punishment he received following the release of security footage that depicted his assault of his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City hotel elevator. And according to CBS Sports, his case looks “exceedingly strong.”

Rice’s attorneys will argue that the running back did not lie about his actions to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who they — and others! — claim had access to the inside-the-elevator footage before settling on his initial two-game suspension. And even by the standard of the NFL’s new domestic-violence policies, he would have been suspended for six games, which have already passed.

Yikes! Sounds like a pretty strong argument to me. If he gets reinstated, it might be a good lesson for the NFL — and by extension the Ravens, who fired Rice immediately upon the release of the inside-the-elevator footage. The lesson? Nobody is buying these belated gestures of moral outrage. So, if you really want to protect your image, you’re going to have to act ethically, on the fly, and in real time. Retroactive doesn’t work.